The Florida Vintage Market

The Florida Vintage Market 


We all know that it's now considered trendy to buy clothes locally, but it's also more ethical and environmentally conscious. By avoiding fast fashion online or from clothing chains, you're reusing and reducing, but you're also getting clothing with rich history. 

While many tend to shop at thrift stores, several others enjoy roaming local clothes markets. A prominent market in the Gainesville area known as the Florida Vintage Market has grown increasingly popular in the past few years. The market takes place in both Orlando and Gainesville, always occurring on Sundays from 12-5. In Gainesville, locations vary between downtown, 4th Avenue Food Park, and High Dive. Plus, there isn't a set schedule for when each market occurs, but you can expect at least one each month. To find out about when and where the next market is happening, it's imperative you keep track on social media platforms such as Instagram and Facebook. 

One can anticipate members of all age groups at the market, but the main clientele consists of students from local colleges, including Santa Fe and the University of Florida. Market-going has become a social activity. It's not uncommon to find bustling crowds with groups as large as ten moving from tent to tent together. If you're lucky, you can find a vintage commodity for a steal or even negotiate certain sellers into lower prices. Occasionally you may find a cute shirt, jacket, or pair of pants in one of many of the bins marked "5 dollars." 

Not all of the clothing can be found at a fair price, however. Some vendors overprice their inventory, selling t-shirts for $80 or more a piece. Many also have great pride in the vintage quality of their clothes and refuse to negotiate as well. It's like a game, trying to find the treasure among all the rubble. When you find the treasure, however, you can walk away with very unique items! 

Clothes certainly comprises a majority of the items sold, but for those seeking accessories or artsy products, they have those too! There aren't too many individuals selling such items, but one may find vendors such as the Home Bodi or Whole Heart Goods boasting earrings or home decor, as well as Redefined Goods or Minca's Marketplace with tote bags and cute stickers. Most of the time, the same vendors attend each market, even jumping between Orlando and Gainesville to sell, but there are always new faces at each market. 

Typically, there is food available and occasionally live music too. Parking is also mostly free, so there are no obstacles to shopping. At the 4th Ave Food Park, there are several local vendors such as Sublime Tacos, Dick Mondell's, Satch Squared, and Opus Coffee, with plenty of seating and a dog and kid-friendly space. The Florida Vintage Market is guaranteed fun for the whole family! If you have not been, you should check out the next markets in Orlando and Gainesville on February 20 and March 13, respectively. Check out social media for more information including attending vendors, locations, etc. See you there! 

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